West Ham United are eager to beat Southampton to the signature of rarely-seen Tottenham Hotspur defender Kyle Walker-Peters, according to the Daily Mail (print edition, 02/08/2020, p64).
The Hammers are believed to see Walker-Peters as a potential first-choice option for boss David Moyes to call upon next term, after the 23-year-old’s Spurs future became shrouded in doubt after being deemed surplus to requirements by Jose Mourinho.
Walker-Peters is thought to be one of several first-team Tottenham players Mourinho is open to selling this summer in order to fund his own spending, having been informed by Chairman Daniel Levy that he will otherwise have a limited budget to work with.
Southampton had been keen to retain Walker-Peters beyond his half-season on loan at St. Mary’s but have thus far failed to secure a permanent deal, following previous reports of a potential £10million bid as the temporary agreement featured no purchase clause.
Tottenham are now believed to be holding out for £12m if they are to sell Walker-Peters to any interested party this summer, and could be one of two right-backs leaving north London with AC Milan interested in a €15m (£13.5m) deal for Serge Aurier.
LOSC Lille’s Zeki Celik has emerged as a potential replacement for Aurier and Walker-Peters, with reports suggesting Spurs and Everton are considering the €20m (£17.9m) valued Turkey international for a summer transfer.
Does Walker-Peters deserve a future at Spurs?
Yes
No
Walker-Peters has consistently failed to establish himself in the Tottenham first-team since making his senior debut under Mauricio Pochettino in August 2017, with the London-born defender accumulating just 24 outings for Spurs across all competitions.
The former England U21 international enjoyed his most minutes during a Premier League season in the 2018/19 campaign when awarded six appearances, which Walker-Peters bettered whilst on loan at Southampton where he featured in ten top-flight games.
He displayed a solid representation of himself for the Saints across his seven starts and three substitute outings, with an average 1.3 successful tackles and 1.4 interceptions, but delivered zero accurate crosses from 1.1 attempts and took just 0.2 shots a game, per WhoScored data.
Those numbers would hardly improve Tottenham’s defence if given a chance under Mourinho, who will be within his reasons to accept any suitable offer that comes from Southampton or London rivals West Ham.